Radiation Therapy

Welcome!

Thank for visiting the Washburn University Radiation Therapy website! We are committed to providing quality education and training to all our students to prepare them to be excellent Radiation Therapists. We hope you will be one of our future students!

The Program

The Radiation Therapy program is administered through the School of Applied Studies, Department of Allied Health. The program curriculum at Washburn is an accredited, 13 month certificate of completion program. Upon successful completion of the program, graduates are registry eligible with the American Registry of Radiologic Technologists (ARRT). Classes begin in June and finish the following July. The program consists of 40 credit hours of required related courses and clinical education.

Students will complete didactic courses online and participate in clinical education at a Washburn affiliated radiation therapy center. Clinical consists of unpaid experience. In the fall and spring semester clinical hours are Tuesday-Thursday, (8am-4pm) and Friday (8am-12pm). The winter intersession consists of approximately three weeks in December and January in which student’s complete clinical hours Monday-Friday, 8am-4pm. In the summer semester, clinical is scheduled Monday-Thursday, (8am-4pm) and Friday (8am-12pm).

Why Major in Radiation Therapy at Washburn University?

Dedicated to excellence in teaching, Washburn University today is recognized as an outstanding public, urban learning environment.

Washburn University began in 1865 as Lincoln College, a school established by the Congregational Church. Lincoln College became Washburn College in 1868 in recognition of the financial support of New England philanthropist, Deacon Ichabod Washburn. In 1941, the citizens of Topeka voted to make Washburn a municipal university.

Our educational objectives are to prepare individuals for careers and further study in a variety of disciplines for a lifetime of continuous learning.

Washburn has a reputation as a "teaching" university rather than a "research" institution. More than 90% of our faculty holds doctoral degrees or the highest degree available in their discipline.

Washburn has an enrollment of approximately 7,300 students.

What Careers are Available in Radiation Therapy?

Radiation Therapy is an exciting and dynamic field. Advancements in technology are dramatically impacting the manner in which radiation therapy is delivered. Radiation therapists typically enter the workforce as a staff radiation therapist. Other career opportunities available to radiation therapists that may require additional education and experience include chief/lead therapist, medical dosimetry, medical physics, education, sales, application specialist, healthcare administrator, and locum tenens.

Program Mission

The Radiation Therapy Program is focused on the development of qualified radiation therapists who provide optimum patient care through technical competency and professional conduct.

Program Goals & Outcomes

Program Effectiveness OutcomesOutcome 1: Students will complete the program.Outcome 2: Graduates will pass the national certification exam on the first attempt within 6 months of graduation. Outcome 3: Graduates will be gainfully employed in radiologic sciences within 6 months of graduation. Outcome 4: Graduates will be satisfied with the overall quality of the program. Outcome 5:Employers will be satisfied with the overall competency of program graduates.

Goal 1 – Program graduates will be clinically competent.Outcome 1: Students will interpret pertinent data to accurately deliver radiation therapy treatments.Outcome 2: Students accurately positions patients for treatment delivery.Outcome 3: Students will instruct the patient regarding identified treatment side effects within the scope of practice.

Goal 2 – Students will demonstrate written and oral communication skills.Outcome 1: Students will demonstrate written communication skills.Outcome 2: Students will demonstrate appropriate oral communication skills with patients.

Goal 4 – Students will demonstrate professional work standards.Outcome 1: Students will exhibit professional standards and behaviors.Outcome 2: Students will assess the importance of professional development.

Accreditation

The Radiation Therapy Program accreditation falls under the university’s accreditation by the Higher Learning Commission: A Commission of the North Central Association of Colleges and Schools. This is an acceptable accrediting mechanism according to the ARRT.

Admission Criteria

An applicant must be a graduate of an accredited Radiologic Technology program, possess a minimum of an Associate Degree from an institution that is accredited by an acceptable accrediting body according to the ARRT, and hold the professional designation of RT(R). Specific coursework evaluated in the application review process includes: human anatomy and physiology, mathematics (math course description should include content such as real number systems, algebra of sets, exponents, equations and inequalities, polynomial functions, graphing, radical expressions, operations, inverses of function, equations of lines and systems of linear equations, logarithmic and trigonometric functions), written communication (composition), verbal communication (communication or public speaking course), and radiation physics from radiology program (titles of physics course in radiology programs vary).

Students who have not yet met these requirements, but are in the process of doing so may also be considered for admittance; however, acceptance will be contingent on meeting all admission requirements prior to the program’s start date.

*PLEASE NOTE: At this time students clinical education is not available to students in New York and New Jersey based on the requirements set by those states.

Acceptance is conditional on the following:

Confirmation of acceptable clinical placement.

Completion of a radiologic technology program.

Verification of an associate degree or higher from an educational institution accredited by a body acceptable to the ARRT.

Professional designation by the ARRT as a Registered Radiologic Technologist (RTR).

State Authorization: The admission of students into a Washburn University degree or certificate program offered online or at sites outside of Kansas is contingent upon the University's compliance with any applicable regulations or laws enacted by those states in which the students reside. The University is reviewing the regulations imposed by other states in which our current students reside to determine their applicability and the feasibility of complying with such regulations in the future.

Successful completion of a criminal background check. A criminal background check will be required of all accepted Radiation Therapy students prior to beginning the fall semester. Successful completion of the Radiation Therapy program requires participation in clinical practicum courses. Students can only be placed in clinical practicum courses after a background check (at their expense) has been completed which discloses they do not present a criminal history of:

convictions of laws regulating controlled substances*;

convictions, at the felony level of crimes, as defined under Kansas Criminal Code (K.S.A. 21-3101 et seq.) and amendments thereto, which are crimes against persons, crimes against property, or sex offenses;

conviction of an offense requiring registry as a sex offender under the Kansas Offender Registry Act or any federal, military or other state law requiring registry;

conviction, at the felony level of crimes, involving moral turpitude which include but are not limited to: perjury, bribery, embezzlement, theft, and misuse of public funds.

* Exception: Persons who have been convicted of a misdemeanor illegal drug offense may be permitted to participate in the clinical practicum if they have demonstrated, in the opinion of the program director, that they have been sufficiently rehabilitated.

What's an Ichabod?

Washburn's mascot, the Ichabod, honors the school's early benefactor, Ichabod Washburn, a 19th century Massachusetts industrialist. The original design of the studious-looking, tuxedo-clad figure was created in 1938 by Bradbury Thompson (ba '34), who became an internationally acclaimed graphic artist. Design wasn't Thompson's only consideration. To the stylized Ichabod the artist attributed the qualities of "...courage and enthusiasm, as shown by his brisk walk. He is democratic and courteous, for he tips his hat as he passes. Sincere in his search for truth and knowledge, he studiously carries a book under his arm..."